Fair Fashion - Interview with Anne-Marie Brückner
Krawall&Liebe - Fair Fashion offers ethically and ecologically produced fashion. What exactly does that mean?
The aim is to keep the ecological footprint as small as possible, to guarantee decent working conditions for textile industry employees throughout the entire production process, and to be able to offer buyers high-quality and toxin-free clothing and accessories.
What does "fashion" mean to you, and what purpose does fashion serve?
Besides primarily protecting against the elements, clothing also reveals much about a person's character. Conversely, clothing can express a great deal. Depending on how one wishes to behave on certain occasions, one dresses accordingly. Fashion is an essential part of every society.
How can clothing harm the environment?
The increasingly rapid pace of recent fashion trends is immensely stimulating consumption, leading to overproduction by many manufacturers, as a large portion of the clothing offered goes unsold. Furthermore, people are buying more clothes than they rationally need. Instead of wearing clothes until they fall apart, they are often worn only as long as they like them. In addition, the quality of clothing is sometimes significantly reduced, as it no longer needs to be durable, and fiber blends are used that are difficult or impossible to recycle, which is problematic from an environmental perspective. The short production cycles mean that workers are required to work faster and/or overtime – often without any financial compensation.
Which sustainable brands are carried in your store?
There are larger and very new brands from the immediate and surrounding areas, as well as from Holland and Spain. These include Recolution, MUD Jeans, Lovjoi, Hurricane Apparel, and Thinking Mu.
How did you come to open your own store for sustainable fashion?
The selection of beautiful and fair organic clothing in Ulm was far too small for my liking, so I decided to enrich the city with a small, elegant shop.
Can I bring my clothes to Krawall&Liebe - Fair Fashion for repair?
Normally, absolutely. I'm a seamstress, and it's very important to me that clothes can be worn for as long as possible. However, there may be times when I don't have the time to accept orders and don't have an employee to help. In those cases, I kindly ask you to use one of the many alteration tailors in the city.
Are you also designing your own collection called "Anchor Girl"?
Yes, exactly. “Ankermädchen” has been around since summer 2018. Under this name, I produce small and limited collections.
Does sustainable fashion appeal more to women or men?
Both women and men. How someone feels about the production conditions is completely gender-neutral. So I also stock clothing for all adults. Unfortunately, the store is still too small for a children's section.
So what can individuals do to protect the environment and safeguard those involved in the production chain from exploitation?
- Look at the care label; it contains all sorts of information.
- What is the composition of the garment in your hands? Prefer pure natural fibers or recycled materials. Avoid blends of synthetic and natural fibers.
- Is the manufacturer audited by certification bodies? Which ones? Feel free to ask the sales staff what all this means and what the differences are.
- Repair damaged clothing or make something else out of it.
- Pass on items that no longer fit or that you no longer like. Don't throw them away immediately.
- Look in secondhand shops, at clothes swap parties, clothes carousels, flea markets and on the internet.
- Only buy things that you really need or that you really like and will therefore wear frequently.
- Buy from companies or shops that prioritize environmental responsibility and ethical practices. And that are truly committed to it – admittedly, that can be difficult to find.
But simply asking questions and perhaps doing some research already makes a difference. This helps manufacturers realize that we, as customers, do care about how our clothes are made and what they're made of. Fortunately, there are now a number of companies—both small and large—that are forging their own path and placing great value on social responsibility, respect for human rights, and environmental protection. For them, respect for people and nature is more important than making a profit. And that's important to me! That's why I've furnished my shop the way it is, with brands whose motivation and integrity I believe in.
What do you wish for in the future?
It would be fantastic, of course, if fair fashion were no longer something extraordinary but rather the norm and taken for granted. But I am confident that the way people are treated in other parts of the world will change due to the moral pressure exerted by consumers on the textile industry.